All the cool kids are doing it.
Here's my chart....so you can feel good or bad about yourself. I post in duration not distance for several reasons, (except for swimming which came in at 230.78 miles for the year). The first reason is that bike drills are done on the trainer. The trainer does not pick up distance, nor is distance important. Time in the saddle is important, power zones are important. Distance/speed is not important. The second reason is that I did a flat 70.3. I live in hills. In order to prepare for a flat race, I did most of my rides on the trainer.
I have no idea what the little pie slices are.
Remember when you are looking at charts or reading athletes' posts, we are all fighting our own battles. Someone who runs 10 hundred million miles in a year is NOT a better athlete. They have different goals. Hell, maybe they don't even know what they are doing.
Here are the highlights from my numbers:
1.) From Jan-Aug, I was doing sprints/oly distance races. With a new coach, we started the year out slower to get my fitness up to par.
2.) Aug-Oct, I was training for a 70.3....not typical for me.
3.) I managed to stay healthy all year due to an awesome Coach who gave me plenty of rest and recovery (which are different), a good nutrition plan and good attitude.
4.) My swim volume was lower this year because it's my strength.
5.) At the beginning of the year, I had a bike crash. Although I had no major injuries, I had to significantly reduce my volume for 6 weeks, taking 1 week off completely.
Always remember, numbers are just numbers. Like finish times, they mean nothing in the big scheme of things.
The most important parts of training are the stories behind the numbers.
Like the day, I was in full blown sufferfest, but my Coach's words kept replaying in my head, "It's supposed to feel this way. You're feeling growing pains. The pain of growing into a new stronger athlete."
Or the day of a race where I had one of my worst bikes ever, and I managed to dig deep and pull out a huge 10K PR off the bike.....when my legs were completely shot.
Or the day I did my first box jump. :)
Or the day I found out I qualified for Nationals.
So, look at my numbers and say, "That's interesting." and move on.
Don't compare yourself to me. Don't compare your 2013 volumes to your 2014 volumes. Be yourself and Be YOUR best starting today.
